


Polyphemus and the Silkworm Catastrophe

by Wxlipse



Category: Original Work
Genre: POV First Person, Written for a Class
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26899120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wxlipse/pseuds/Wxlipse
Summary: This was written for my honors English class.(Note: There's bound to be a ton of mistakes since I couldn't use grammarly.)TW// Burning/Scalding at some point.
Kudos: 1





	Polyphemus and the Silkworm Catastrophe

**Author's Note:**

> I did not like writing in first person.

**Everyone knows the story of “Odysseus”.** How he was attacked by a vicious silk weaver. And how he defeated this so-called “silk weaver”. But, nobody knows the other side of the tale. Well then, let me tell you the tale of Polyphemus and what really happened in the story.

It started on a normal day. I had just woken up from a good night’s rest and was inspecting my silkworms. I noticed how most of them were wound tightly in silk cocoons, meaning I was ready to make more silk. As I gathered them up, I failed to notice some silkworms sneaking into my studio. As I lit up a fire underneath a pot of water, I felt a cool breeze against my bare neck. I turned around, noticing how the window was open.

“Huh, I guess I forgot to close you last night,” I murmured, still unaware of my unwelcome guests. I slammed the window shut, and as I did I saw a cluster of silkworms from the corner of my eye. I leaped back with a shout of surprise.

“How did you manage to escape?” I asked them. The silkworms scurried back, trying to get out of my sight. I grabbed two to inspect and they writhed in my grasp as I eyed them suspiciously. With a growl I tossed them into the nearly boiling pot, listening to their panicked screams. I heard the  sizzling sounds, and turned back towards the other silkworms, who stared in horror. 

“Now, who might you be?” I asked the leading worm, who scurried forward proudly. 

“I am No man,” he stated boldly and I laughed,

“Well then, No man, perhaps I’ll leave you for last to make silk,” I then turned around to grab my silkworms. I organized them one by one, sorting out which ones were ready and which ones were not. For the ones that weren’t prepared, I placed them back into the tank. As for those that were, I dropped them into the sizzling pot. As I extracted the silk, I once again failed to keep watch over my still unwelcome guests. I felt a tickle around my feet and chuckled slightly before continuing my work. As time went on, I began to feel an itch near my calf. I leaned down to reach it and could’ve sworn I saw my legs covered in something white. I tried to stand up, tripping over as something, or someone, yanked a loose piece of what I now realized was silk. I grappled for something to grab, and I did find something, thankfully. However, it happened to be the boiling pot of water, and my left hand slipped right into it. I yelled in agony, pulling my hand out as quickly as I could. The entirety of my hand was scalded, and droplets of water evaporated as if on instinct. My lips curled into a snarl as I noticed how No man and his friends had vanished once again.

“Curse you No man!” I cried out, clutching my hand. I gritted my teeth, preventing a howl in the back of my throat.  The cool air nipped my hand , and it stung more. I stumbled around my workspace blinded by pain. My fellow silk-weavers poked their heads out of their studios to see what all the commotion was about.

“Polyphemus?” one of them called to me, surprised. 

“What’s this about?” I growled lowly, whipping my head around for No man.

“No man burnt my good hand! No man injured me!” I shouted, and the others eyed each other.

“Well then, if no man injured you, then you’re fine,” another said. And they all went back into their studios.

No man stood by the open doorway, proud of his work. I ran after him, furious now. No man stayed put, shouting something.

“And Polyphemus, remember to tell anyone who comes by to say it was  Odysseus, savior of silkworms that ruined your good hand!” he shouted to me. And I roared with fury. Injured by a cursed silkworm?! I pulled my hand into a fist, ignoring the screeching pain I felt. As I saw Odysessus and his friends scurrying away, I shouted,

“ODYSSEUS, I,  Polyphemus, the silk-weaver son of Poseidon , call upon my father to ensure you take eternity to get back home! And when you do, you will have lost everything!” And with that, Odysseus and his crew were gone.


End file.
